Another music ''shot'' feat. Stereo Mike

1) It is a great honor to host you in my personal blog space &
enjoy a music ''shot'' with you Mike. Please update us on your latest
artistic & general endeavours.

Thanks for the invite! I'm a big fan of your blog, so it's a pleasure to be
having a "shot" here. I've been in the studio in London writing and
producing my new album "KATALH3H" (part I), recording an exciting new
artist - Helena Micy - and getting ready to perform at South by Southwest in
Texas. I'm also continuing to teach music production at the University of
Westminster, and writing a book that will accompany the second part of
"KATALH3H".

2)In one of your latest blog posts, I understood that you are expressing your personal thoughts about persisting for your personal dream.
I wonder though, in today's music industry (Greece + abroad), is the sole
creator of art who is setting the dream, his manager, or his record company?
How can artists survive between pure freedom of creation & profit, a relationship controlled by so many intermediators, before reaching their audience?

That is the million dollar question! I won't pretend I have an absolute
answer; because I believe that "the dream" is a process, a path, and
we are all just travellers on a quest. So, at times, we have to stop and
honestly ask ourselves "what is my dream?" If the dream is
Expression, then the artist alone has to define it, not the label, not the
manager, nor any other part of the industrial "mechanism". If the
dream is profit, one has to play a strategic game of chess, where -
unfortunately - Art becomes one of the many variables. I believe, however, that
there is a way to combine true artistic expression and success, if you remain
persistent and define your vision honestly. It's a slower process, but
it sets your priorities clearly and works as a reminder for the times when
"intermediators" start calling the shots. It's true that the lines
can often get blurred, which is why the artistic voice has to remain loud and
clear. The "mechanism" that is there to support artistic expression
can often flip and start working in self-interest - that is the very nature
of the current flavour of cannibalistic capitalism. But this is
when an artist has to cut off all ties with support systems that became
parasitical. Fire your manager, drop your label! If your material has value,
you can acquire buzz, success and an audience. But do you have the patience to
become autonomous? Or recognise effective new partners? This takes hard work,
experience and befriending technology, both in terms of production and
dissemination.

3) Counting 6 years of economic & cultural crisis in our home country.
How do Greek artists (indie + mainstream) approach this phenomenon which has
been altering our society? What is their role & responsibility in times of
turbulence?

I think Greece has remained a peculiar musical territory, for at least as
long as I have experienced it (as a listener and artist). The combination of a
small population, huge accumulation in the capital and overall corruption has
created some unique issues. There has never really been a fertile enough ground
for the underground or for indie survival, because audience numbers where
simply too small to sustain "alternative" output. The Athenian radio
nepotism also made sure tastes were tailored, and that is something they
could control in the tight geography of the capital that, however, did
house half the Greek-speaking (and -listening) population. As a result, artists
in my era would always face a dichotomy the moment they crossed over: sell out
or disappear. In other words, play by FM rules or receive no airplay. The
"gatekeepers" would spell it out to the labels and managers, by what
they'd let in or "on". So, if anything, I believe the situation has
been unhealthy for a long, long time. The current crisis is only magnifying it.
And despite all its negative facets, one thing that I am welcoming in this
"downward spiral" is that the monopoly is very clearly now eating
itself. Mainstream media, their predictable choices and the content itself are
becoming irrelevant to a growing (young) audience. This, of course, goes
hand-in-hand with the Internet affording new, direct forms of
"consumption" and "listening". So, this challenging
phenomenon has also got to be an expressive opportunity for modern Greek
artists, and this is where I see our responsibility lie: Can we operate outside
of the controlled air-waves and still write some tunes that mean something and
stand out in the cyber-maze? We may even affect a change in the modus operandi
as a result of the transition of influence and, hence, of power. I see a great
parallel between the music paradigm and Greek culture and society as a whole,
in the opportunities this crisis actually affords.

4) You can finish this ''music shot'' the way you see fit.

To young artists I'd say: keep expressing yourself and become good at your
craft. Then you can change things!

Bachelor degree in History and Philosophy of Science at the University
of Athens. Master of Science with a major in Economics at Jonkoping's
International Business School in Sweden. Interned for the Swedish
educational organization Bilda and consulted for their music sector. Marketing, management & business development experience in Greek, Swedish and other international companies.

Music CV: Professional touring & recording musician since 2001.
Cooperated with various artists. I have been negotiating contracts with labels, booking events, marketing music effectively as a media product, online/offline in various countries/regions.